Fastening device for car-doors.



E. A. NIX & E. C. RODDIE.

FASTENING DEVICE FOR CAR DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.29,1913.

Patented July 6, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

WITNESSES E. A. NIX & E. C. RODDIE.

FASTENING DEVICE FOR CAR DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 29. 1913.

1,145,164. Patented July 6, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. INVENTORS A i Q )2. 64% Attorney 1' TED %TATE% PATENT @FFTQE.

EDWARD A. NIX AND EUGENE C. RODDIE, OE NEVT ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

FASTENING DEVICE FGR CAR-DOORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, 1915.

Application filed January 29, 1913. Serial No. 745,001.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD A. NIX and EUGENE G. RODDIE, both citizensof the United States, residing at the city of New Orleans, in the parishof Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented. certain new and usefulImprovements in Fastening Devices for Car-Doors, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to refrigerator car door fasteners.

One object is to provide means for fastening refrigerator car doorstogether tightly so as to render the car perfectly air tight and toaccomplish this advantage without the necessity of pounding the doorstogether or necessitating a crow-bar or other device for prying themopen.

Another object resides in the provision of a door provided withfastening means which may be actuated for opening or fastening the doorthrough the instrumentality of a single lever.

With the above and other objects in view the present invention consistsin the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claim, it being understood that changes maybe made in the form. proportion, size and minor details withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of theinvention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a carillustrating our fastening means in operative position. Fig. 2 is ahorizontal sectional view on the line a-a of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal sectional view on the line b?) of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is avertical sectional view.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings thereference character 10 indicates a portion of the side of a car providedwith a door opening 11 to the sides of which are hinged the doors 12 and13. The free longitudinal edges of these doors are preferably beveled asindicated at 12 and 18. respectively. so that they may have overlappingrelation when closed. Suitable packing 14 is secured in any suitablemanner to the beveled edge of the door 12.

J ournaled in suitable brackets 15 on the door 13 is a rod 16 which isrotatable about its axis by means of the lever 17 secured adjacent thelower end of said rod.

Fitted in the side of the car over the doors is a casting 18 having arecess 19. A roller 20 is disposed adjacent this recess 19, beingjournaled on the bight portion 21 of the U- shaped bracket A whose legs22 pass through the side of the car and on the free ends of which nuts23 work in order to secure said bracket in rigid position.

Fitted to the side of the car below the doors in line with the casting18 is a casting 24 provided with a recess 25. Adjacent this recess 25 isa roller 26 journaled on the bight portion 27 of the bracket Z) whoselegs 28 extend through the side of the car and the bracket 6 is held bynuts 29 connected to the inner ends of the legs of the bracket.

The opposite ends of the aforesaid rod 16 are tapered and curved intosubstantially crescent shape to provide upper and lower hooks 30 and 31designed to engage in the respective recesses of the upper and lowercastings 18 and 24. By manipulating the lever 17 the rod 16 may berotated to throw these hooked ends into and out of said recesses. Bythrowing said lever toward the staple 32 secured to the door 13 thehooked ends of the rod are thrown into said recesses and into embracingrelation with the rollers and, by virtue of a consequent cam actionbetween the hooked ends of the rod and the rollers, the doors are forcedtightly into overlapping relation with the free longitudinal edge of thedoor 13 binding tightly against the packing at the free longitudinaledge of the door 12.

A hook 33 may be carried by the lever 17 for engagement in the staple 32to prevent the doors from being accidentally jarred open. If desired, aseal (not shown) may be used to fasten the doors against surreptitiousopening.

The rollers furnish a rolling contact, which facilitates closing thedoors because it reduces friction to a minimum. Moreover, when it isdesired to open the doors, the same lever that acts to force the doorstogether acts to facilitate opening the doors. When the lever 16 isswung away from the staple 32 it rotates the rod backwardly to disengagethe hooked ends of the rod from embracing relation with the rollersadjacent the recesses of the aforesaid upper and lower castings.

A ledge 34: is preferably secured at the side of the car immediatelyabove the car door opening for the purpose of shedding Water but thisfeature is not material to the present invention.

Some of the advantages that may be enumerated are that the doors may bepadded as much as desired provided the doors may be brought suflicientlyclose together for the hooked ends of the rod to engage the rollers. Therollers furnish a rolling contact which insures an efiective tightclosing of the doors. Another feature resides in the provision of asingle lever for effecting a locking and unlocking of the doors, that isto say, by throwing the lever in one direction the doors are effectivelylocked together, and by throwing it in the opposite direction the doorsare readily opened. This particularfastening means obviates the usualdamage done in pounding doors together and also the damage usually doneby virtue of crow-bars and otherinstruments used for the purpose ofprying the doors open.

l/Vhat is claimed is:

The combination of a casting adapted to Copies of this patent maybeobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

be secured to the side of a car or the like, said casting having arecess provided therein, a rotatable rod adapted to be secured to thedoor of the car or the like, a hooked terminal formed upon the said rodfor insertion in the recess of the casting, a U-shaped bracket havingits opposite sides passing through said casting and its arch disposedEDWARD A. NIX. EUGENE C. RODD-IE.

Witnesses:

CHESTER W. BROWN, Miss E. SONNEMANN.

Washington, D. C.

